BOOKS OF THE WEEK

WAR: WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
The Role Of Conflict In Civilisation, From Primates To Robots 

By - Ian Morris

About the Book :
Synopsis : War is one of the greatest human evils. It has ruined livelihoods, provoked unspeakable atrocities and left countless millions dead. It has caused economic chaos and widespread deprivation. And the misery it causes poisons foreign policy for future generations. But, argues bestselling historian Ian Morris, in the very long term, war has in fact been a good thing. In his trademark style combining inter-disciplinary insights, scientific methods and fascinating stories, Morris shows that, paradoxically, war is the only human invention that has allowed us to construct peaceful societies. Without war, we would never have built the huge nation-states which now keep us relatively safe from random acts of violence, and which have given us previously unimaginable wealth. It is thanks to war that we live longer and more comfortable lives than ever before. And yet, if we continue waging war with ever-more deadly weaponry, we will destroy everything we have achieved; so our struggles to manage warfare make the coming decades the most decisive in the history of our civilisation. In War: What Is It Good For? Morris brilliantly dissects humanity's history of warfare to draw startling conclusions about our future.

About the Author  :
Ian Morris teaches classics, history, and archaeology at Stanford University. Born in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in 1960, he now lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. He has directed excavations in Greece, and Italy, and has published 11 books and more than 80 articles. His most recent book, "Why the West Rules--For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future" (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010), tells the stories of East and West across the last 15,000 years, from the final days of the Ice Age into the 22nd century, explaining why the West came to dominate the rest--and what will happen next. His next book, called "War! What is It Good For?" will tell the story of war from prehuman times to our own, making two controversial claims--first, that war has helped humanity as well as harming it; and second, that war is now changing out of all recognition.
  ISBN : 9781781252963                                                       Price: Rs. 699.00  

BOOKS OF THE WEEK


An Undocumented Wonder
The Making of the Great Indian Electionby - S.Y. Squarish

About the Book :

The great Indian election continues to generate global interest and wonder, partly on account of its uninterrupted success and partly because of the obvious challenges of demography, geography, and the mind boggling diversities. How are these elections conducted? What were the challenges faced by the Election Commission of India? How did it overcome these challenges? What are the ideals and principles that drive the people involved in completing this mammoth task?
An Undocumented Wonder: The Making of the Great Indian Election answers these and many more questions about what has been termed often as the ‘great dance of democracy’. The book avoids the ‘kiss and tell’ track, nor does it seek to entice readers with any ‘spill the beans’ approach Instead, the attempt is to serve and satisfy the readers’ genuine curiosity through a first person account of the recent electoral history and the challenges encountered. Along with highly informative and exciting inside stories of Indian elections, the author shares his experiences and knowledge from the time when he served as the Chief Election Commissioner of India.

About the Author  :

Dr S.Y. Quraishi served as the 17th Chief Election Commissioner of India from 30 July 2010 to 10 June 2012. He has also served as a Secretary in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. He completed his Masters degrees from St. Stephen’s College in Delhi before joining the Indian Administrative Service in 1971. He is also the author of the book Social Marketing for Social Change.
 ISBN : 9788129131065                                                                     Price: Rs 795.00